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Tuesday, November 16, 2010

In her book Living Artfully: Create the Life You Imagine, artist and author, Sandra Magsamen tells this story:

"I heard a great story of an English art therapist, Edward Adamson, who asked a group of high-school-age children to look at a brick and write down as many things as they could imagine the brick being used for. Some children had no problem, easily writing a hundred ideas. Other children struggled, so he asked those children to close their eyes and imagine that they were eccentric artists known for their creative flair. Once they had an image of themselves as innovative, artsy people, he asked them to open their eyes and again look at the brick and write down all the things the brick could become. This time, the children overflowed with ideas. The difference was they now say themselves as "artists." "

In the story, the children became what they imagined themselves to be. What are you telling yourself you are not? What can you imagine yourself to be? I invite you to explore these questions and experiment with them if you like. I would love to hear your thoughts and the results of your experiments. Pictures would be fun too! ~ Blessings, Janet

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

This entry is inspired by my Journal Cards by Sue Meyn. Sue has a way of getting deep, real deep using a simple 3 x 5 card. Here's today's card:

What makes you laugh? Describe the last time you laughed really hard.

My pups make me laugh, Rick makes me laugh, road signs make me laugh, making silly mistakes makes me laugh. Last night Minnie Mouse had Michael (Cocker Spaniel Pups) pinned down on the sofa and after she declared her victory she jumped off and left him there pinned in the corner with his legs up on a throw pillow. He looked like he was using it as an ottoman...funniest thing! I laughed so hard my tummy ached.

Today ~ Where would a little added humor help?

I feel like I have a lot to do and not enough time to do it in. Sound familiar? Picturing me stuffing 10 pounds of stuff into a 5 pound bag, and getting it all in there....declaring my own victory....and then noticing there's a huge hole in the bottom of the bag! Next..............

What is a favorite humorous event or story?

Rick and I got together when Brandi was 16 years old and she having a tough time grasping this new relationship. She thought Rick was sort of a novelty and while she liked him, she wasn't sure about creating a family with him. For the story to make sense, you have to know that Rick loves bread...I mean...the man loves bread. When he eats warm bread fresh from the oven he always says "mmmmm." Brandi thought that was the funniest thing and then one night at the dinner table she took a bite out of a slice of bread fresh out of the oven and without realizing it went "mmmmmmmmmmm." Rick and I looked at each other, burst out laughing and then in unison said, "Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated." And with that, we all burst out laughing.

Take some time to think about all the things that make you laugh and practice pulling them from your memory when you get into a stressful situation. Humor really can heal!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

I admit it. I am a sucker for tradition. For me, it ranks right up there with order and routine. Seriously though traditions give us a sense of stability in a world that is often uncertain. Traditions can provide us with a sense of who we are and where we come from. Traditions can keep us connected to one another, give us a sense of continuity and traditions provide rich memories.

An Election Day Tradition

Some traditions are serious and some are fun. Rick and I have an Election Day tradition that is both serious and fun, depending on the election. While we lead very busy lives and voting by mail has now been made available to us, we continue to go to the polls each election to cast our votes. We go together after work and then head over to Keegan's Sport Grill, where we a enjoy a nice casual dinner and a glass of wine out on the patio. We discuss our thoughts about the election, the state of our nation, our state, our lives, and our children's lives. Sometimes we are on opposite sides of issues and while we take our responsibility seriously, we do have fun and lively debates. Then we go home and watch the telly as the results come in. We've done this every election we've been together.

We enjoy many traditions in our family as well. Some of our traditions have been passed down from generations, some have evolved from adding new family members, some have just evolved because an activity became meaningful. All are a cherished part of our lives.